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With another edition of the Tour de France finished and dusted off, Philippa York looks back on the French race and chooses its winners and losers from the last three weeks of racing.
The race saw Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) travel to Paris after an exciting conclusion to the race, but there were a number of other highs, and some lows, that have also drawn our expert’s opinion.
Winners
That the Tour took place is a miracle in itself, but the fact that it was inspiring, exciting and indecisive until the penultimate day was even more remarkable. In the context of the fear and suspicion that COVID-19 has brought to the world, and to sport in particular, the Tour de France has shown that there is hope not only for the future of cycling but for life in general.
The race evolved to cope with current circumstances and a new generation of runners emerged; young attack riders that we will hopefully see for years to come. We had 21 stages and 21 different races, which showed that professional cycling can and has changed. There were no processions and nothing was decided until the United Arab Emirates led the platoon to the Champs Elysees. Live the Tour.
It’s easy to say that the young Slovenian left the Tour de France with all the loot. Despite his relative inexperience in Grand Tour racing, he was always there or around with only one day wasting time in the crosswinds going to Lavaur. His performance at the Vuelta last year was an indication that he should be taken seriously, but was ignored by everyone until his attack on Peyresourde proved that he was the strongest climber in the race.
Benefiting from the focus on Roglič against Bernal, and the Jumbo vs Ineos battle, their UAE team had no real pressure on them and that was good because with the loss of Fabio Aru and especially Davide Formolo, they had only had David from The. Cruz to support him in the crucial moments. If you ignore the question of whether Pogačar won or Primož Roglič lost, you will realize that he is the most talented of the new generation and that he raced with a maturity beyond his age.
‘The new Sky’ would be a good description of how the Dutch team worked. As a unit, they resembled the way Dave Brailsford’s squad controlled previous Tours, but without resentment. The race was not crushed by his tactics, rather it was about managing situations and taking advantage of his strengths without completely suffocating the rivals.
Having all of their guys in good shape was no fluke, they had planned their season accordingly and established a core group of riders who adapted to various circumstances. Wout van Aert is the immediate one you think of when it comes to guiding his team leader, but Robert Gesink was just as worthy. Not many people can set the pace on a mountain or two day after day. In the end, they were undone by Pogačar, but the Dutch have set a new standard.
From the outset in Nice, he was battling Julian Alaphilippe and Adam Yates for the win, but that journey on stage 2 was no fluke, as Laruns’ work demonstrated. There, despite being alone in front for 85 km of the stage, Pogačar barely beat him.
Four days later, he went and won his first stage of the Tour de France from another break. Sunweb, winner of the most aggressive driver by a mile in the country, has a real talent in his books, as he can race, climb and race against the clock. He’s also an intrepid descendant and one of the future stars for sure. Look at this space.
Yes, he finished second when it seemed most likely that the La Planche des Belles Filles time trial was a coronation and not a defeat, but look beyond the obvious and you see progression. The way the 30-year-old has managed to become the favorite throughout the race has been impressive.
Picking up the yellow jersey and taking on the responsibilities that comes with it wasn’t easy, but he didn’t seem overwhelmed. A bad day is not the end for him and it is the way he deals with disappointment that will be important.
Losers
Where did everything go wrong? Almost everywhere if I have to be honest. Only Michał Kwiatkowski and Richard Carapaz are excused from the regrettable performances of a team that promised so much and delivered so little. Considering they have the biggest budget and some of the best riders for each role, they consistently underperformed. All the riders looked tired. Sivakov should have retired with the injuries he sustained on opening day because he never recovered – the Tour de France is not an active recovery journey.
There were a couple of illusions of greatness when it came time for the echelon, but elsewhere they were outmatched by Jumbo-Visma and it was only when Egan Bernal went home that a plan B kicked in. Too little too late when you consider the resources available, and Dave Brailsford knows it. Position 10 in the racing convoy for Paris says it all.
The end of an era. The Slovakian never looked fast enough to win a stage and when he was scored points for breaking into Wout Van Aert, hopes for another green jersey were dashed at the same time. To his credit, he had his team try to take out the other sprinters and it might have worked if Sagan himself were in better shape. Despite the hype and still having the hubris, the once-invincible character has begun the slow descent into the twilight of his career.
French teams, except AG2R
If you eliminate AG2R, who won a stage and had Romain Bardet hanging on until he too fell, it’s worrying that French cycling didn’t have anyone who looked competitive. They have so few young riders that they progress when they reach the professional ranks and when they trust their established stars, they also underperform.
Pierre Rolland, as the most prominent French rider in week three, is indicative of a malaise that grips the local crowd as soon as the Tour de France comes into view. They seem to be happy just being there, touring their villages greeting friends and family. I won’t even quote what Bernard Hinault said about his compatriots, as it doesn’t change anything, which sadly has been the case with his overall result for 35 years.
He won a stage, and it was the stage of the queen, but if you give him a time trial bike he’s pitiful. Five minutes slower for a fifty minute effort that includes more than a third of the driving time uphill is bad and that’s after he says he has been working on his position.
The Colombian is the least likely to win a major stage race and the most likely to be in the wrong half of any division in the peloton. Hence, Superman’s nickname has to be a misnomer. Vinokurov should have brought Jakob Fuglsang. End of.
The arrival of Bjarne Riis hasn’t changed much for the South African entered team. Barely able to put a rider on the attacks, no general presence and no threat in the sprint stages, there seems to be a communication problem somewhere in the ranks.
The only time they seemed to be together was the celebratory photo when five of them arrived on the Champs Elysees. It made me wonder if that was the first time you saw each other, you guys know each other as people that you thought you had lost and would never see again. Arkea finished the Tour with the lowest prize money, but NTT must have had the least media coverage. Yawn.
